A palace, a hill temple and a couple of markets; and the photo opps award goes to the market. We actually hit two, one of Mysore’s quaint old markets and its bustling Devaraja Market. They were filled with the usual Indian fair of vegetables, spices and flowers, but this one had something special, vendors who welcomed a camera pointed at their goods.

The Royal Palace is the attraction that brings the tourist though. Personally, I found it a bit hotel like. Perhaps this is due to the British design, intended to mimic Indian style. Magnificent workmanship though made it well worth the tour. A short trip out of town to climb the stairs of sacred Chamundi Hill was well worth the effort too. Continue reading Mysore Market and Palace→

We came down from the cool hill station air of Kodai to tropical Kerala. First stop Fort Kochi (Cochin); the Portuguese, Dutch and British cultural melting pot, where there is a Christian church every few blocks – with a pile of parishioners shoes left outside, distinctly Indian style. The historical trading town still has its Asian Fishing Nets (see the photo below) in use, making for a classic port scene of old meets new. Continue reading Kerala→

Our first stop in India threw us right into the thick of their infamous polluted, congested cities. However, the Tamil people proved to be set on ensuring our stay is pleasant. In the thick of honking horns and swerving motorbikes, trucks and rickshaws, approached people would patiently greet us and offer their best advice, often helpful. One such case resulted in an escorted cross-city bus trip back to our hotel neighborhood, complete with a stop for tea and a guided walk through Triplicane, Chennai’s, Parthasarathy Temple temple. And, believe it or not, unlike my experiences traveling the North ten years before, there wasn’t even a hint of opportunism; the university student refused my insistence on paying the cafe bill. Continue reading Tamil Nadu→

There is something airy about a place with a constant smell of sulfur and where steam billows from the ground. Even the hot water from the tap has the sulfur smell. The upside, of course, besides looking really cool, is being in a country with countless hot-springs and a strong economy from energy independence. And, yes, strong, despite impressions from the 2008 economic collapse. Everyone seems to live comfortably and crime was unseen. Continue reading Laugavegurinn – Hiking Trail→

Six weeks on three different expeditions aiding scientists in studying mountain ecology and glaciers. We worked on a half dozen research projects, summiting six peaks in the Cordillera Blanca collecting data.

Keeping it real while traveling in and around what is probably the single top site in South America seemed like a challenge. Truth is, things came together rather naturally. A good sign I’m getting into a nice travel rhythm. Continue reading Machu Picchu, My Way→

I have really grown to enjoy these long bus journeys. Today I have the front seat on the upper deck, providing a continuous 180 deg view, for crossing the high Andes from Salta, Argentina, to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. The first awe-inspiring site was the area around Purmamarca, known as The Land of Seven Colors for the many shades of red and brown through green and purple the hillsides take. Continue reading Crossing the Alta Puna→

Cicuito Chico walk Friday,15th, then the next day Sarah and I hiked up to the well-known climbing area The Frey. CC was a must-do because Sarah had picked up post cards highlighting it from the limited post office supply in San Martin. It ended up being a good inspiration. Beginning at Puerto Panuelos, there are several short trails through Valdivian forest and along small coves of the huge, 100 km glacial relic, Lago Nahuel Huapi. The highlight being the views atop Cerro Lao Lao. Continue reading The Frey→

As I write on the bus from San Martin to Bariloche, passing through the seven lakes region of Neuquen, I realize what a treat it is to have connections in far off places. Pedro’s family opening their cottage to us was huge, but there were also little things; like when they gave us a couple of locally caught rabbits, which we turned into a dish inspired from Sarah’s Mexico travels and a stew for our last couple of days in Quila Quina. Continue reading San Martin to Bariloche→

‘Quien se apura en la Patagonia pierde el tiempo,’ locals say (‘Those who hurry in Patagonia lose time’). We’ll likely be here another week, waiting for the high system to move in and shift our winds around from the South.

These three days are worthy of a full blog post (coming soon): trekking out to Glaciar O’Higgins, staying on a ranch where I was told only twenty a year pass through, in a natural landscape that was right up there with any I’ve seen. Inspiring to experience the traditional subsistence ranching the father and son carry on. The true Patagonia.

If you are going to cross a border, you might as well make it interesting. Argentina / Chile, no phone or computer, only a paper record of who comes and goes. Carried the way too heavy pack for five hours through forest and pass from Lago Desierto to the two home “town” of Candelaria Mancilla.

Alpine climbing Huntington Ravine, Mount Washington, NH. The footage is actually from three different days in Jan-Feb 2012. The climbs include Pinnacle Gully, Damnation Gully and the top-out is from South Gully. Winds on Pinnacle and Damnation were high those two subsequent days in February, upwards of 90 MPH, but conditions throughout most of the climbs were picture perfect, calm and sunny!